Scaling Diversion Programs to Reduce Incarceration and Improve Resident Health
Every year in the U.S., two million people with mental illness are booked into jails, leading to a cycle of incarceration for these individuals. One in three persons in the Orleans Justice Center Jail are treated for addiction or mental illness, and these individuals remain in the jail more than... Read more
Reimagining the Right of Way to Support an Equitable Community Recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic threw daily life into a state of upheaval, with lockdowns, social distancing guidelines, travel bans, and digital work becoming a new norm. While these measures largely worked to preserve the health of many Americans, bold actions needed to be taken to curb the economic and social impacts... Read more
Expanding Pathways into High-Quality Jobs by Aligning Workforce Investments
In the Bay Area, COVID-19 has dealt a harsher economic blow to the region than initially estimated. Nearly 5,000 jobs were lost in January 2021 alone. In the City of Oakland, the unemployment rate has spiked to 9.6%, after having been at its lowest rate in decades before the pandemic... Read more
Building a Sustainable Center to Support the Reimagining of Travis County’s Criminal Justice System
Across the U.S., police departments have become the front line of mental health treatment, and jails and prisons are the primary caretakers. The Travis County Jail is one of the largest mental health providers in the county, with around 34% of the jail’s roughly 1,434 inmates having a mental health... Read more
Responding to Behavioral and Mental Health Crises without Law Enforcement
Throughout 2020 there were passionate pleas and emphatic demands for local governments across the country to examine police operations within their jurisdictions. In response, Durham city officials began examining public safety and community wellness needs and evaluating if city resources were aligning. Initial work included analyzing 911 call data and... Read more
Increasing Access to Employment Opportunities for Every Milwaukeean
In Milwaukee, more than 17 percent of Black residents are unemployed, compared to more than 4 percent of white residents. A key to closing this widening economic gap is giving individuals more workforce development opportunities and access to job prospects. Employ Milwaukee, the local workforce development board serving Milwaukee County,... Read more
Increasing College Affordability to Ensure More Equitable Opportunities
Students in Birmingham often face a tough path to college and career. While roughly 80 percent of students graduate annually from Birmingham City Schools (BCS), many are experiencing poverty, and only 50 percent advance to post-secondary institutions. In response, the mayor has pledged that any BCS student who graduates will... Read more
Working to Reduce Racial Health Inequities
Birmingham recognizes that social determinants of health — including the built environment of neighborhoods, such as environmental hazards, access to green space, walkability, and more — are major factors in health inequities across the city. To address this, the Department of Planning, Engineering, and Permits developed a Health Community Assessment... Read more
Investing in Food Ecosystem to Provide New Pathways to Employment
In Houston, an estimated 725,000 people are food insecure, 500,000 of whom are living in federally designated districts where the closest supermarket is more than a mile away. These districts are found predominantly in the city’s historically underinvested communities, neighborhoods in which economic inequity has endured for generations. Exacerbating these... Read more
Expanding Digital Access to Increase Educational Outcomes
While access to wifi and high-speed internet are often taken for granted, in Houston, more than 142,500 households do not have a computer, and over 267,000 households lack broadband internet access. These communities are often historically underinvested and present significant hurdles for residents, preventing them from harnessing the power of... Read more